Black Ink
Sports —
Students Watch the Greatest Show on Earth
Page 7
TRViteemv"
On March 31, 1985, 22,000 people
packed into Madison Square Garden while
over a million more watched closed-
circuit television in order to see
“Wrestlemania”. This professional
wrestling event featured “Rowdy” Rod
dy Piper and Paul “Mr. Wonderful" Orn-
doff versus professional wrestling’s most
popular star. Hulk Hogan and his partner,
Mr. T.
Charlotte Memorial Stadium’s the
“Great American Bash” pulled 25,000
fans, and Texas Stadium had 43,000
whooping it up in Irving, Texas.
While people across the country
crowd into arenas to watch this high-
energy event, Chapel Hill students share
in their own viewing of the wrestling
craze. In their dorm rooms late at night
students equipped with late night snacks,
pizza, and sodas watch their own wrestl
ing favorites throw each other around in
the ring.
“It allows me to release some of my
aggression as I watch these guys beat up
on each other,” said Ray Andrews, a
.freshman business major from San Diego,
California.
In the past three years, wrestling has
experienced a boom in popularity.
Wrestlers are now doing records, talk
shows and even have their pictures on
bubble gum cards.
The wrestling business not only reaps
profits from these sales, but tickets to
wrestling events are sometimes rather
expensive.
Fans who attended the “The Great
American Bash ” paid as much as $50 for
a ticket to see the show.
Why the popularity? Many fans say
wrestling allows them to watch great
athletes perform, see an entertaining show
and release much of their anxiety in the
course of an hour or two. It’s also fun to
watch.
“Wrestling is very funny if you just
watch it,” said Scott Jones, a freshman
journalism major from Wilson, NC. “But
don't take it seriously.” he advised.
Wrestling also presents some very in
teresting situations throughout the course
of the show. Russians Ivan and Nikita
Koloff beat up in Magnum T.A., the
dashing, young American, who just hap
pened to be the U.S. Heavyweight cham
pion. After months of fierce battles be
tween Nikita and Magnum, the “Russian
Nightmare” defeats Magnum for the ti
tle. Although Nikita had once tried to
hang Magnum with a chain, he had'gain
ed so much respect for him during their
matches that he decided to join Magnum’s
best friend the “American Dream” Dus
ty Rhodes, and fight the bad guys, even
at the disapproval of the Kremlin.
Tully Blanchard, one of the “Four
Horsemen,” once had a valet whom he
named “Baby Doll”. She always in
terfered in Tully’s matches to help him
win. Finally Dusty Rhodes got angry and
slapped “Baby Doll”, although his
mother advised him not to hit a lady.
These types of stories are enough to
put “Dynasty” out of business.
The final attribute of pro wrestling
has to be that it has divided its wrestlers
into good guys and villians so that fans
find it easy to become invovled in the
matches.
Particularly Hardin Watkins, who
claims that “Although everyone claims
they can beat Hulk Hogan, down deep we
know he is always going to win.”
Although some people get too in
volved in the events. In New York two
teenage boys were ordered by the courts
not to watch wrestling anymore because
they got so personally involved until they,
were beating up on each other and their
mother.
Professional wrestling is now more
popular than it has been in the past 30
years. It gets network and cable television
coverage as the fans clamor for more. The
ratings are extremely high and a promoter
can fill almost any arena in the country
at will.
Wrestlers are doing television ap
pearances, music videos, and they even
have a Saturday morning cartoon.
Eventually the wrestling craze wil die
down as the fickle American public finds
something new to marvel over. But until
it does, fans can enjoy wrestling, as long
as they don’t try what they see on TV.
By Charles Will
■ooV
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Do You Know Your Black History?
From Black Fox Trivia Game
Questions:
1. “/ Have a Dream” was a speech
made by Martin Luther King, Jr.,
during what demonstration?
2. What is a quadroon?
3. Who was the first black actor to win
an Emmy?
4. The quote, “Life for me ain’t been
no crystal,” is taken from what
poem?
5. What was the first predominantly
black-owned firm to be seated on
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
the American Stock Exchange?
Who was the first black college
graduate?
Answers:
1963 March on Washington
A person of 1/4 Negro ancestry
Bill Cosby
‘ ‘Mother to Son ’ ’ by Langston
Hughes
Johnson Products Company, Inc.
John B. Russwurm
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Special thanks to
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